Method for making knife handles



July 26, 1949. M. A MIRANDO METHOD FOR MAKING KNIFE HANDLES Original Filed March 5, 1945 INVENTOR. 4 MICHAEL A. MIRAND A) 7' ZOENfY Patented July 26, 1949 METHOD iFORMAKING KNIFE HANDLES Michael A. Miranda, Providenceflt. Lassignorto Imperial Knife Gompany,-Inc., Providence; R. L,

a corporation of Rhode Island Original application .March 5, 1945, Serial No. "581,001. Divided and this application March 21 1947, Serial No. 736,080

4 Claims. (Cl. 376-4061) 1 2 This invention relates to knives and more Lparmust be suitably concealed. For this purpose, ticularly is concerned withra method for making each side :of the irame has mounted thereon a knife handles. covering means 26, 28 which may be fabricated, in It is an object of my invention to provide a general, in the manner shown and described in "simple andinexpensive method for making knife 5 United States Letters Patent .No. 2,284,833 issued handles Shaving covering .means'which includes a June 2, 1942. Essentially, eachcovering means nonemetallic :scale embodying a metallic ornaincludes acombination scale supporting and men-t. bolster-or tip forming member 30 (Fig.6) here- 111 another J y: invention to p ov inafter called the support and an ornamental a methodieof the cha'racter'described which funcscale member '32 (Fig. 5) hereinafter called the tions to accurately locate in an aperture of a scale. non-metallic scale a projection of. a scale support- The support.is..fabricated from sheet metal and ingm'ember. comprises an elongated, interiorly concave Other objects of this invention will in part :be stamping whose plan configuration conforms apobvi'ous and.impart-hereinafter pointed out. proximately to the plan configuration of that The invention accordingly consists in'the feaside of the knife .frame on which it is adapted to tures'ofi construction, combinations of elements, .b mounted, Bolster or tips .33, 34 at the op- Fmd arrangement p s which Will be fl mp :posite ends of the support exactly conform to the fre'diin'the'construction.h'ereinafterdescribed, and contour of the ends of the lining sheets which of which the scopeof application'will be indicated 2 they overlie, An intermediate portion 35 of t inr the claims. support, which integrally connects the bolsters This application is a division 'of my co-pend- =33, :34, has -a configuration similar to but smaller ing application Serial No. 581,001 filed March 5, than that of the underlying 'part of the knife .1945, for Knives. frame so that the scale, when superimposed In the "accompany n drawings, in which is thereon ina-imanner later described, will conceal shown one of the various possible em s the longitudinal edges of said portion and the 'o'f'this invention, entire covering member, including the scale and Fi'g'fl is -'a Side view Of'a'kn'ife constructed-in support, will jointly present a contour exactly accordancewith myinvention: :matching the configuration of a lining sheet. FigZis-airont viewth'ereof; The ends of the intermediate portion 36 are Fig. 3 isan enlargedse tinall View ta n u slightly lower than the bolsters whereby, when 's 'fii y- 'g'the line 3-3 0i"-Fig'.'1; "said portion is covered "by the scale, the top sur- 4 is "a b ck w f a fi s d er face'of thescale will be substantially flush with meansfor one side of the kn fe hand e; the top surface of the bolsters.

'Fi '5 is a op plan view of "a scale member 'The'5sca1e-32, which zrnay likewise be fashioned cbmi fis' n l rt'o s efingme'ans; "from "sheet material,comprises a. plastic sub- Fig. 6 is a'to'pplan view of a; combination scale fstan'ceandf-preferably n h h can beplagtiholdingand bolster or tip'f'orrning member, which .rcized by he'atzand pressure, such substances inp es' fi P e cbvringme'ans'; eluding :by way of example Celluloid, cellulose and v540 acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, regenerated :Fi'g. V'i's'asectionalview through'a' die used cellulose, cellulose nitrate, styrene resins and for the formation of the metallic ornament. acrylietresins. .Ifrdesire'd, plastic materials which .Referring nowto the drawings, 10 denotes a ean beplasticized in other -manners may beers.- knife constructed in accordance "with my invenc-ployed, such .materials including, for instance,

3516 1 d mp s p r p e elongated phenol oru-rea formaldehyde resins. The scale lining sheets 12, f4 joined by a plurality ofrivet's has an elongated central portion 38 which over- 16, 18, 20. One of the rivets l6 'forms the pivot :liesthe 1 intermediate portion 36 of the support .onwh-ich 'a-kniie bla'deZZ is rotatably mounted. andrh'as zlateralextensions il, 42 bent around the cmvedtang end o'fsaid blade bears'against e'dges of :said intermediate portion, as described a standard resilient spacer 24 loc'ated Iinter- ;5:0 .insaid'patent so as to (secure the scale in posimediate tlrre 'liningsh'eets l2, l4 adjacent-one ti'on,:'sai'd scale b'eing locally .plasti'cized where it 'paiiriof longitudinal edges of said'sheets. ais-ben t around the support.

The-knife construction thus 'far described is Suitable means is also provided .to secure the conventional #and provides a .rough frame "of coveri ngimeansi'fi, 28-430 the knife frame. Said mhlch'ithe.twoexposedtacesnf the dining. sheets 5 :-means-.-mayzinclude tangsMintegraIW-extending away from each end of the support and adapted to be forced into pockets 46 on the ends of the lining sheets l2, l4.

Pursuant to my invention, I incorporate a metallic ornament in the non-metallic scale in a novel manner which involves no extra expense for material and only a slight additional expense, if any, for labor. This is to be contrasted with previous practice, wherein, when metallic orna ments were provided, the same were invariably riveted on as an additional piece over a thick scale-forming member. ornament by embossing a projection 48 of the desired configuration'on the exterior surface of the interconnecting support portion 36 and simultaneously punching a matching aperture 58 in the scale. This avoids the expense and difii- I provide the metallic culty of registering such projection 48 with a accordance with my invention. Said apparatus includes a die block 52 in which there is received an anvil 54. The anvil has an aperture 56 which negatively matches the configuration the projection 48 is to have. Cooperating with the anvil is an embossing punch 58 which is moved toward and away from said anvil by suitable means such as a reciprocating head 62. The head on'which the punch is mounted also carries a spring pad 68 surrounding the punch 58.

' To use the apparatus, a covering means, such as the covering means 26 on which the scale already is wrapped around the support, is set on .the anvil 54, said anvil being providedwith a configuration which negatively corresponds to the external surface of the covering means. When the reciprocating head moves downwardly, the spring pad 68 which leads the punch 58 will first engage said covering means, the pad pressing against the interior surface of the covering means and being'shaped to fit in between the two inturned lateral extensions 48, 42 of the scale.

- However, if desired, said pad may additionally press against said extensions; As the pad firmly resiliently presses the covering means against the anvil, the punching die 58 descends to form the embossing '48 to a height at least substantially equal to the thickness of the scale 32. When the projection moves toward the anvil it acts as an extension of the punch 58 and cuts a piece 64 out of the scale and leaving an aperture which negatively matches the projection. Preferably, the scale is thinner than the support so that the piece 64 will be sheared from the scale while the projection 48 remains integral with the support and need not be raised a height greater than the thickness of said support.

The side edges of knife frames are generally longitudinally curved and in the illustrated knife, said edges are shown as compoundly curved, To preventsu'ch longitudinal curvature from wrinkling or cracking the scale, particularly when the scale is being attached to the support in the manner described in said patent, I provide a series of notches '66 in said edges which extend almost to the folds. These notches permit the 4 attaching portions 48, 42 to locally stretch o shorten at the fold, during attaching of the scale and the cooling which follows, without buckling or stretching the scale. It will be noticed that additional notches are provided in the parts of the attaching portions 40, 42 where the longitudinal edges of the central portion 38 'are'outwardly convex and where the longitudinal portions tend to buckle during mounting of the scale. These additional notches are provided here since, although the scale can stretch somewhat, it has very little strength in compression and, therefore, buckles more easily than it stretches.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a method for making knife handles which achieve the several objects of this invention and are well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in'the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. r

Having thus described my invention,'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a method of making a knife covering means, which method includes the steps of placing on a sheet metal support a plastic scale having a width greaterthan the supportwith the edges of the scale, overhanging the edges of the support, bending the edges of the scale around the edges of the support, and locally plasticizing the scale whereit is bent around-the support: that improvement :comprising the steps of raising a projection on the side of said support which carries the scale, and simultaneously. cutting an aperture in the scale with said projection.

2. In a. method of making'a knife covering means, which method includes the steps of placing on a sheet metal support'a plastic scale having' a width greater than the support with the edges of the scale overhanging the edges of the support, bending the edges of the scale around the edges of the support, and'locally plasticizing the scale where it is bent around the support: that improvement comprising thesteps of locating said covering on a .die having an aperture therein with the scale over the aperture, and forcing towards said aperture the portion of the 7 support overlying the aperture whereby to raise a projection on said support and simultaneously cut an aperture'in said scale with said projection.

3. In a method of making a knife covering means, which method includes the steps of placing on a sheet metal support a plastic scale having a Width greater than the support with' the edges ofthe scale overhanging the edges of the support, bending the edges of the-scale around the edges of the support, and locally plasticizing the scale where it is bent around the support: that improvement comprising the steps of locating said covering on a die having an aperture therein with the scale over the aperture, and forcing towards said aperture, a distance at least substantially equal to the thickness of the scale,

. the portion of the support overlying the aperture whereby to raise a projection on said scale and with the edges of the scale overhanging the edges REFERENCES CITED of the support, bending the edges of the scale I g around the edges of the support, and locally g g ig g g z are of record m the plasticizing the scale where it is bent around the p support: that improvement comprising the steps 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS of raising a projection on the side of said support which carries the, covering and simultanegg i gzg ously cutting an aperture in the covering with y 1,446,095 Karaus Feb. 20, 1923 Sam prmectmn- 1 980 05a Hourin Nov 6 1934 MICHAEL A. MIRANDO.

2,394,837 Bartelheim et a1. Feb. 12, 1946 

